Half to charles f



'. (No Model.) 1

S. A. GARDNER.

STEP LADDER. I No. 310,814. Patented Jan. '13, 1885.

State of tion of various parts,

35 the bottom,

45 for the strut B by means of a rod,

ilNiTnn STATn's PATENT @Tiucn.

SYLVENUS A.

GARDNER, OF JAMESTOWVN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO CHARLES F. BAKER, OF SAME PLACE.

STEP=LADDER.'

{SPECIFICATIQN Application filed May 7, 1884. (N0 model.) a

T0 aZZ 1071,0712 it may concern:

Be it known thatI, SYLvENUs A. GARDNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jamestown, in the county ofGhautauqua and New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Step'Ladders, of which the followingis a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

These improvements relate to the construc as hereinafter fully explained.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation, one-half the side and half the strut re 15 moved; Fig. 2, a front view showing the inward curve to the sides or risers, &c.; Fig. 3, a back View showing the brace, &c.; Fig. t, an enlarged detail of the eccentric and ad jacent parts.

A A represent the concave double and separate side pieces or risers, made with an inward curve to get greater strength. To these the steps a a a are secured, being set in grooves and screwed therein. A novel feature of these steps is that they are of different widths from front to rear, beginning at the bottom very narrow and growing gradually wider to the top step, b, the object being to get wider and stronger steps the higher one ascends, the lowest ones being quite narrow,

as they are not stood upon, but only used to mount to thehigher ones, where the feet rest in using the device. The risers on each side are in two separate pieces, close together at gradually widening apart until the top is reached, where the ends set in slanting slots in a dado hinge and supportingpiece, 0, on the inside thereof, and are screwed in said slots. The risers, being in two separate ieces and widenin aaart ive reater 40 P g l a a strength and elasticity to the whole. On top of the dado-pieces c c is fastened the top step, b, making a firm platform to stand squarely on. These dados also act as part of a hinge d, passing through the back of both dados and through the tops of the strut, (the ends being inside the dados,) and the rod beingbeaded outside.

6 e are two inwardly-curved tie-bars, fasttened at the bottom at g to the risers and at the top at 9. They are also fastened to the back of every step, and being curved, as shown, give additional strength to the whole, and especially to the middle ofthe device, which is most used, and firmly binding the steps to the risers.

G is a brace that unites the strut B to the front. It is ofan'inverted-Y form, the stem 0 having a long slot, f, therein, in which is a longitudinal pin or rod, h, and held just above the rear of the middle step, a, by upright metal ears z i, fastened to said step. On this rod his set, between ear z" and the stem 0, an eccentric fastener, 7c, (see Fig. 4,) having a piece cut out from the side i, and a corresponding piece, 6, is cut out of the ear z". As shown in Fig. 4, the handle of the eccentric is up in position to bind the brace and keep it in the position required. Vhen the handle is pushed down, the two cut-out parts i i come together, leaving the stem loose to slide on the rod h and close up the steps and strut. The lower arms of the Y are each pivoted to the lower cross-piece, m, of the strut by metal ears an, attached thereto, each having a horizontal pin,which passes through the end of the arm and into the inside of the leg, forming the pivot for the arms to swing on, and connecting both the rail m and both legs of the strut to the front, getting thereby the strength of the wood and iron combined.

I claim 1. The Y-brace when connected to the front by the slotted stem 0 f, each arm pivoted to a leg of the strut by a metal ear, a, attached to the cross-piece m, and secured by a pin passing through the arm from the ear and into the inside of the leg, all substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a step-ladder, the inwardly-curved separate double risers A A, the portions of each double riser gradually widening apart from bottom to top, in combination with the steps a a a b, andthe inwardly-curved tie-bars e e, the latter attached at bottom and top to the risers and intermediately'to each step at the back, all substantially as specified.

3. In a step-ladder, the combination, with a brace having the slotted stem 0 f, of the eccentric fastening (having the cutout 2") 011 rod h, and the ears M, the latter having In testimony whereof I afliX my signature the cut-out i, all substantially as and for the in presence of two witnesses.

purpose s ecified.

4. In a step1adder, the combination, with SYLVENUS GARDNER 5 the risers or sides AA, of the step aa a, grad- \Vitnesses:

ually Widening from front to rear, as and for CHAS. F. BAKER,

the purpose specified. E. \V. BUOKLIN, J r. 

